Greater New Orleans

New Orleans Saints cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste (33) intercepts a ball intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Derek Hagan (80) during the preseason game between the Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints at the Superdome on Friday, August 15, 2014.(Michael DeMocker, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune)
(Michael DeMocker)

Twenty-three rookies, ranging from elite draft picks to unknown free agents, are vying to make the New Orleans Saints' roster.

With two preseason games in the books, time is running short for them to make an impression.

Last week we looked at special teams participation as an indicator of which players might be getting groomed for a potential roster spot. This week we'll look at overall snap count.

The snap counts from the Saints' victory over Tennessee on Friday night confirm what we largely know: The opportunities are scarce on the defensive line, plentiful in the secondary. Injuries have also had an impact.

The snap counts are charted by Pro Football Focus, an excellent resource for NFL statistics and insight. The numbers do not include special teams unless noted.

Defense (11)

CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste: 39 snaps. Although injuries, like the one to Keenan Lewis, played a big factor in his heavy workload, it also appears that coaches are deliberately challenging him against the first-team offense.

S Pierre Warren: 32 snaps. Warren is battling Marcus Ball, who is not technically classified as a rookie on the Saints' roster, but might as well be. Ball played 22 snaps and didn't stand out, but might be more of a special teams asset.

S Vinnie Sunseri: 28 snaps. Sunseri had a huge game, making a couple of the big hits for which he's already attracted attention and a crucial interception. He's also a special teams grinder, which doesn't hurt. He sustained what he described as a thigh bruise late in the game, but said he was fine.

OLB Ronald Powell: 22 snaps. Powell was largely quiet, with only one tackle in 22 snaps, but PFF didn't grade him charitably.

CB Brian Dixon: 19 snaps. Dixon probably has too many people in front of him, but he's quietly had a solid camp.

OLB Kasim Edebali: 17 snaps. Edebali was one of the surprise players who made an impact on special teams a week ago, and he was given more looks on defense than most of his young teammates. If the defensive end spot wasn't so crowded, he might be someone being talked about as a potential camp surprise. Instead, his shot of making the roster seems slim.

OLB Chidera Uzo-Diribe: 13 snaps.

ILB Todd Davis: 7 snaps.

NT Lawrence Virgil: 2 snaps.

DE George Uko: No charted snaps. Uko played late in the first preseason game, so it's not clear if he was held out for injury or other reasons.

OLB Khairi Fortt: No charted snaps. Fortt left the game in the second quarter after being injured on punt coverage. The severity of the injury is unknown.

Offense (9)

WR Brandin Cooks: 40 snaps. The rookie was overshadowed in the passing game by vets Jimmy Graham and Joe Morgan.